US claims about Russia hacks 'fake news': Analyst

The recent media frenzy about US claims of Russian intervention in Donald trump’s election victory is a “fake news” campaign designed by Washington to install tyranny in the US, says an analyst in Chicago.

Stephen Lendman made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Thursday, a day after the White House said Trump knew of Moscow’s efforts to help him win the November 8 election.

Speaking on Wednesday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest also claimed that the Republican president-elect knew Moscow was trying to undermine the campaign of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton by hacking some Democratic organizations.

“Well, this is what is called fake news,” Lendman said. “The real fake news is what comes down at the White House and Congress and the New York Times and all the major media in America and the Western society.”

In the final weeks before the Election Day, thousands of hacked emails belonging to Clinton’s top aide John Podesta were released to the media, revealing dark secrets about her.

Before that, hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) had exposed an insider attempt within the party to undermine Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in favor of Clinton.

US intelligence officials claimed back then that hackers sponsored by Moscow were trying to affect the outcome of the election.

“The idea of saying that Russia interfered in the election to get Trump elected over Hillary… is on the one hand to continue longstanding Russia bashing and to be anti-Trump” like the President Barack Obama administration and the media have been since the beginning of the New York businessman’s presidential campaign, Lendman explained.

The analyst said the main reason behind the anti-Trump push in Washington is that the Republican president-elect has spoken against the system.

Pointing to the need for Trump to clarify some of his questionable stances with regards to Israel, Lendman argued that Trump is still a “public figure” and his critics should wait until he gets into office.

“Let’s wait until he gets in office and the idea that he will do this and he will do that; the bashings of him, the bashings of Russia, the fake news… this is the campaign to destroy freedom in America, to install full blown tyranny,” he further explained.

The attempts within the Electoral College to block Trump’s presidency was another step in this regard, said the analyst.